Figuring out what to have for breakfast and supper is easy, but I do have a hard time sometimes with lunch. If we don’t have any leftovers, then we’ll either have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or I’ll throw together a snack type lunch like my Cucumber Crostini. This week I’ll be sharing two more of our lunchtime snacks – this Roasted Bell Pepper Almond Spread and another one that is a bit more spicy – a Green Chile Pecan Cheese Spread. I have had several readers mention that they can’t handle spicy foods very well, so this one is for you.

This bell pepper spread is a little sweet but that’s due only to the sweetness of the roasted bell pepper. The cheese is capricho de cabra – a Spanish goat cheese produced with the milk from Murciana goats. This goat cheese is different from what I normally buy. Instead of being crumbly, capricho de cabra is creamy and can be stirred into a buttery spread. You really don’t have to add anything to it, but it works as a great complement to the roasted bell pepper. Add a little olive brine for acid and chopped almonds for another layer of flavor and texture and you have a tasty spread for bagels, pita chips, your favorite crackers or apple slices. Have it for lunch or share with friends as an appetizer or party dip.

Instructions

To toast the almonds – Coarsely chop 3 tbsp. almonds and add to a hot skillet over medium heat. Shake and toss the almonds for about 2 to 3 minutes until lightly toasted. Transfer to cutting board and chop finely.

Transfer the cheese and minced pepper to a bowl. Using a fork or spatula, integrate the pepper into the cheese.

Add the olive brine, paprika and a dash of salt. Combine the ingredients until smooth.

Add 1 ½ heaping Tbsp. of the chopped almonds. Stir to combine. Transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining almonds if you choose.

Toasted Bagels

Cut two bagels from top to bottom, diagonally into 1/4 inch slices.

Place the bagel slices on a cookie sheet or pizza pan and placed under the broiler until lightly toasted. Keep any eye on the toasts because they brown quickly.

Turn the pieces over and toast the other side.

Spread a little of the pepper spread on a toasted bagel chip and enjoy!

Kitchen Notes

The capricho decabra – I’m sure you would be able to find this cheese in any store that has a decent cheese selection. I have found it at both my local co-op and Whole Foods. For this recipe, buy the “plain” capricho de cabra. If you are looking for a really quick snack with no preparation, buy one that has already been seasoned with herbs and spices (but don’t use it in this recipe). If you can’t find capricho de cabra, then your favorite chévre (fresh goat cheese) works just as well

The roasted bell pepper – It is important to drain and pat the roasted bell pepper until is somewhat dry. Too much liquid will transform this creamy dip into a liquid mess. If you don’t have a roasted bell pepper in the freezer or a jar in the pantry, you can always roast it under the broiler. If you roast it, be sure to let it cool before adding it to the cheese. You don’t want it to melt the cheese.

The olive brine – If you don’t have olive brine, then use lemon. Because of the sweetness of the bell pepper and the cheese, this spread needs a touch of acid. You could use a white wine or rice vinegar if you cut back on the amount. If vinegar is all you have, then add it 1 tsp. at a time until you have the right acidity.

Make ahead – This spread can easily be made the day before and refrigerated. However, be sure to remove it from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving so it can soften.

73 Responses to “Roasted Bell Pepper Cheese Spread”

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Hi MJ! I love this wonderful spread! It sounds absolutely delish, with lots of lovely bright flavours, and perfect for summer. Thank you for sharing it with the Hearth and Soul hop. I’ve shared it on my FB page and I’ll be pinning it as well. I can’t wait to make it

This dish was delicious!! It’s a bit time consuming, but so worth it. I roasted my peppers in the oven and just made sure to rotate them to get an even roast. I thought the red bell pepper sauce would make a good winter soup.

Drew – Thanks so much for your feedback! I’m thrilled that you liked it! One of the things I do to save time – whenever I roast red bell peppers, I roast at least 4. I’ll use what I need and freeze the rest. That way, this dip becomes a really quick dip to make with one of the frozen peppers. Thanks again! It was great hearing from you and you made my day!

Oh I like! Especially the idea of using the olive brine for a bit of contrast. I wonder how it would be on a spread that included fig paste? It may be too sweet. Or as a layer in grilled cheese? My mind is whirring with possibilities, thanks MJ!

This is a perfect snack but I can’t promise that I would eat them as a snack. I don’t think I can stop eating once I started. It looks delicious and the goat cheese. . . Oh, you are killing me my friend. Hey, I hope you are enjoying your week, MJ!

Lunch is often a problem for me too as I work from home and tend to just snack on whatever is available in the fridge and pantry. Your dip would be very tasty and a great lunch time snack. And I love halloumi! xx

Goodness, I’ve never heard of capricho de cabra before, much less seen it as far as I’m aware. I think France is the wrong place to look for such cheeses… they usually take the attitude of “Not French? No thanks!” sadly, which makes finding my beloved cheddar rather difficult. I’ve never even seen halloumi here, though I’m sure it must exist somewhere.

The dip looks simply wonderful MJ – I adore the flavour of roasted pepper. Come summer time when red peppers are cheap I’ll buying them by the sackful to roast and peel… yummy!

Thanks Charles! I’m really surprised that you wouldn’t be able to find this cheese in France, but then I didn’t know about the “Not French?…” thing. Interesting. I guess New Mexico is like that when it comes to green chile. I’m with you – I love roasted sweet peppers such much that I put them on a lot of things and in a lot of dishes. The pepper I used in this dish actually came from the freezer. I roasted a bunch up last fall when they were cheap.

Oh, my this looks good! I haven’t heard of capricho de cabra.. but if I can’t find it, I’ll look for a spreadable cheese that’s similar. I love anything spicy, so I’ll be back to have a peak at that one as well:) xx

You make the greatest dips MJ! I can just imagine the medley of flavours here with the roasted bell pepper, almond and exquisite sounding goat cheese. The olive brine is such a good idea – can you believe I used to drink olive juice right from the bottle as a kid… my school friends would buy me a big jar of queen olives on my birthday. Wow, memories. Still adore my olives ;-). Gorgeous looking lunch dip MJ.

Thanks so much Kelly! As you have probaby figured out – I love dips! Actually, drinking olive brine doesn’t surprise me. I use to drink pickle juice and like you, right out of the pickle jar. It drove my mom nuts. That’s pretty cool that you would get a jar of olives for your birthday. You were serious!

Thanks Lin! One can never have enough recipes for appetizers. I’m glad you benefit from my Kitchen Notes. Being one that never follows a recipe and seldom makes a recipe the same twice in a row, I always have alternatives ways of doing things.

I don’t know how to express my love of roasted bell peppers. I especially enjoy it in sandwiches, but never had it in spread. This make me very excited. I somehow cannot digest bell peppers well (hereditary, don’t know why!), but occasionally I cannot help skipping them and enjoy…and deal with heartburn afterwards. I’m saving this recipe for a special occasion. I know this is REALLY delicious!!

Bummer! I would hate not being able to eat bell peppers. I use to be that way with avocados for about 25 years, then one day it just ended and now I can eat all of the avocados I want. Hopefully it will change for you as well so that you can enjoy wonderful little dishes like this with roasted bells. Thanks for your sweet comment as always!

This sounds like a great spread, MJ, and I appreciate your suggestion for adding olive brine. In fact, i like that all of your recipes are followed by similar helpful tips, allowing us to benefit from your experience. Thanks for taking the time to do so!

This looks so amazing, MJ. And I have an approximate idea of how good it would be because I just made a roasted red pepper dip recipe from Chung-Ah’s Damn Delicious blog which was very tasty. I love your addition of smoked paprika and almonds – and next time I’m definitely drying the peppers before using because the sauce was the tiniest bit runny when I made it… Anyway, YUM!

Thanks Mark! I need to go check out Chung-ah’s recipe. I missed it. Yep – you really do need to dry the peppers. I made the mistake of not drying them once myself. It just doesn’t work. I hope you enjoy!

Hi MJ – I just got back from my mon-in-law family women’s weekend. We were talking about roasted bell peppers and how to use it in dishes. You just gave me another great one to share with all the ladies! Since it’s not a spicy one, it will go really well for the family’s party! Can’t wait to share this!

MJ, this is one of these recipes I don’t even have to taste or smell. I simply know this spread is delicious. As a big fan of goat cheese, I always have it in the fridge and love spreading it on crunchy bread (I have just googled the photos of your cheese and it looks roughly like fresh goat cheese, am I right?). Roasted peppers are of course a great company for goat cheese. Actually your spread looks like a deconstructed Spanish snack I once had: roasted, small long peppers filled with fresh cheese.
It’s the first time I see anyone using olive brine and it sounds so exciting! My husband drinks olive brine so he will be delighted to discover it in this spread.
You know my love for fiery food, so I don’t have to mention how impatient I am to see the spread with a kick

Thanks Sissi! I am not sure if the cheese is consider “fresh” or not, but it sure taste fresh. It is very smooth and creamy. You can tell your hubby that I use to drink olive brine and pickle brine, so any excuse to use them and I take it.:) I forgot all about the feta stuffed red peppers. It has been years since I’ve had one. Now I want one! I think you are going to love the spicy spread.

I always have problems with food description/type translations into English… I don’t know if it sounds English, but I meant by “fresh” cheese the cheese that hasn’t been matured (no mould, no crust, no temperature treatment after the first stage etc.) because it’s just curdled milk formed into any cheese form at first stage of cheese preparation, of any consistency (it can be thicker or looser like cottage cheese) and is sold at once, without maturing process.
It’s very easy to make such a cheese at home (though it’s preferable to have raw milk, for better taste results; I did it several times, but never with goat milk… it gives me crazy ideas!).

I really like the olive brine in this – great idea. And this does look like it has a nice, mild flavor. I know many people prefer that (including too many of our friends!) but I’m eagerly waiting to see your spicier spread.

That does sound so good! I have never heard of capricho de cabra, but I will have to look for it! Lunch for me is usually left overs, so a salad if we don’t have any leftovers. I am a big snacky type person though, so this would be perfect!